ST. PAUL, Minn. — John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, said Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant. And it was revealed an attorney is defending Palin in a probe into the firing of her public safety commissioner.

The revelations threatened to steal any remaining thunder from McCain’s Republican National Convention, which already was overshadowed by Hurricane Gustav — and brought unwanted attention to the 44-year-old governor.

Coming after the randomness of Gustav, the revelations added to the sense of unscriptedness hanging over the convention.

In a brief respite from partisanship, Democratic rival Barack Obama weighed in: “I think people’s families are off limits and people’s children are especially off limits.”

McCain aides said the announcement about the pregnancy of Palin’s daughter Bristol was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin’s own youngest son, born in April, was actually the daughter’s child.

The pregnancy statement, attributed to Sarah and Todd Palin and released by the campaign, said that Bristol Palin would keep her baby and marry the child’s father, identified only as a young man named Levi.

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents,” Sarah and Todd Palin said in their statement.

Palin had told McCain’s team about the pregnancy during lengthy discussions about her background, aides said.

Prominent religious conservatives, many of whom have been lukewarm toward McCain’s candidacy, predicted that the announcement would not diminish conservative Christian enthusiasm for the vice presidential hopeful, a staunch abortion opponent.

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson issued a statement commending the Palins “for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.”

As for the Alaska probe, a Republican-dominated legislative committee is investigating whether Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan after he refused to fire a state trooper who had divorced Palin’s sister.

A senior McCain adviser, Tucker Eskew, said, “The governor of every state gets legal counsel, and this attorney is part of a weeks-old effort to provide this governor defense in a series of outlandish, politically motivated charges. … It is a matter of her job and is not recent, and it is not related to her selection on the McCain-Palin ticket.”

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